Overture in Slow Motion
by lc59
Summary: Injuries sustained during his trip to Atlantis reminds Daniel that "life is short". D/V
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: Stargate: SG1 isn't my creation; I'm only playing_ here _and the only things I own are any original characters that came from my own mind._

**Title**: Tag to SGA S5 "Lost Tribe"

**Summary: **A tag to theSGA S5 episode: "The Lost Tribe"

**Spoilers**: Not really spoilers...assumes the reader is familiar with the events of SGA S5 episode "The Lost Tribe"

**Pairings**: Daniel/Vala, probably some referrral to J/S

**Rating**: "K" at the moment...could become "M" in the future

**Genre**: Drama/Angst/Romance

**A/N:** This is a piece that I've had in the works for awhile. I do little bits on it when I need a break from "best". I've been hesitant to start posting it because I'm trying to NOT have something else active that could distract me from concentrating on "best". Having said that though I've recently started posting some of this in the DV forum at GW because it made me feel less guilty about how long it was taking me to post the next chapter of "best"....and I've been encouraged to start posting it. Sooo....I figured I would since there is so little DV anymore....and pretty much NOTHING that logically picks up at the end of "Lost Tribe."

Despite the way I wrote DV's blossoming relationship for "Best"...the events of this fiction seem to me to be more realistic. I always was a little unsure of the idea that Vala seeing another man would boot Daniel into action...I always felt he was more likely to let her go, coming to the conclusion that he'd been right all along...she really wasn't interested in him that way...but at the time I needed a place to start "best" and the others at the DV forum all seemed to think that another man scenario worked just fine.

I've always thought though that the one thing that would kick his ass into gear would be life-threatening injuries...his or hers...after all "life is short". I thought at first that the events of Continuum would do it, but the Daniel that lost his leg died before time was changed back so there would be no memory of his injury.

The same would not be true of the injury he sustained in "Lost Tribe".

I just wish I had a cooler title than 'tag to SGA S5 "Lost Tribe", lol. Any suggestions?

Also wanted to explain the extent of his injuries that I'm presenting. TPTB didn't give us much to go on, but after reseaching electrocution and lightening strike I reached the conclusion that extreme muscle pain was the most likely...he wasn't on oxygen so there weren't issues with his heart or breathing...and there could have been burns but nothing we were presented with suggested that.

Okay, shutting up now.

* * *

**SGC Infirmary**

The first thing he registered as he swam back up to consciousness was a steady beep-beep-beep. Which he concluded was the heart monitor that all the wires attached to his chest led to. The next things he registered were female voices. Two specific, familiar voices to be exact. One was the voice of his surrogate sister. The second was the husky accented voice that had become the sound track of both his every-day life and his fantasies.

"Vala, you've been here for almost twenty four hours. You need to take a break. Go please. I'll stay while you eat. Maybe you could try to get some sleep too."

"Samantha, I'm fine. Really. I know you still have stuff to do before the Hammond leaves. I, on the other hand, have nothing pressing to do. So please go. Really, I'm just fine here."

"Vala…" the concern in Sam's voice was evident.

"Sam," came out of Vala's mouth almost like a sigh, "please…I can't leave here," her voice dropped to a whisper, "I…we almost lost him,"

The last thing that occurred to him as he slid back into sleep was the notion that Vala sounded on the edge of tears.

The next time he surfaced, the only sound was the heart monitor. Even the usual background clump of military boots on concrete, the PA system paging people and the soft-soled shuffle of the nurses moving around the infirmary were missing. He managed to crack open his eyes to take in his surroundings. Definitely the base infirmary, but it was obviously late. The only lights on were the ones lit behind occupied beds and the lamp attached to the desk at the back of the room where his myopic eyesight could discern the figure of a nurse. He let his eyes scan the oh-too-familiar room. He would've much preferred being in his own quarters or even better, being in his own bed in his own apartment, but if he was going to be stuck in an infirmary for awhile, this one was preferable to the one in Atlantis. At least he didn't feel so alone here. Exhaling a shallow breath that wouldn't hurt and his eyelids beginning to droop again, he felt a surge of affection as he registered the figure half draped against the side of his bed. He shifted his hand to touch the satiny mass of dark hair. She stirred, but didn't wake. Staring at her for a long moment, the affection became a warm glow of comfort. Closing his eyes, he leaned his head back into the pillow, and let himself drift back to sleep, his hand splayed across the surface of her hair.

The third time he woke, the usual day time hustle and bustle of the base was back. He skimmed his gaze around the room. With barely open eyes he identified his only companion as Teal'c.

"Hey Teal'c," came out gravelly.

His long time friend looked up from the tabloid he was reading.

"DanielJackson," a faint expression of pleasure spread across the Jaffa's face, "it is good to see you awake. I shall get Dr. Lam."

"Uhh, no Teal'c, wait" Daniel made a faint suppressing gesture with his hand, then grimaced at the ache that flowed up his arm, "not just yet. Just lemme be awake and relatively pain free for a few moments before Carolyn starts poking at me.

Teal'c bowed his head slightly in acquiescence. "As you wish."

"Uhhh thanks," Daniel started, then stopped to clear his throat, "so uhh…where's Vala? She's been here the last coupla times I've resurfaced…I was kinda surprised to see you this time."

"Samantha escorted ValaMalDuran away several hours ago. She required nourishment, a shower and sleep. She has been here at your bedside since you arrived."

Daniel could actually feel his facial muscles protest as his forehead crease slightly in puzzlement. "Uhh and how long have I been here? The last thing I remember is Dr. Keller giving me a sedative so the trip from through the 'gate wouldn't be too painful."

"You have been here approximately 48 hours. Dr. Lam felt it wise to keep you sedated a while longer. She is well aware of your inclination to downplay your medical condition and wished to allow your body more rest time before you began complaining of boredom."

Daniel managed a wan smile. "Dr. Lam isn't going to find me downplaying anything this time. I know how bad I feel. I'm gonna be more than willing to simply lie here and be still as long as she wants me to."

One of Teal'c's eyebrows rose in skepticism. "I am certain she will want to hear you say that for herself. I shall locate her now."

"Yeah sure," Daniel made a vague hand gesture of agreement, "might as well get the poking and prodding over with," he mutterered, watching Teal'c pace out of the room, his hands clasped behind his back.

Daniel closed his eyes and waited. It only took a matter of moments before Dr Lam bustled up to his bed.

"Dr. Jackson, good to see you awake. I'm concerned though that Teal'c might be hallucinating; he claims that you've been saying something about being willing to stay here quietly as long as I want you to."

Daniel opened his eyes. The SGC's CMO was standing beside his bed, clipboard in hand; her brown eyes alight with amusement.

He smiled weakly. "I did."

The amusement on her face sobered. She studied him for a moment, her lips pursed in thought.

"That bad huh?"

He responded with another weak smile.

She gave his hand a light pat. "Well then I'll try to do this as gently as possible."

Daniel allowed himself a small sigh. "Fine."

She worked as quickly and softly as possible checking vital signs and the state of his internal organs. Despite her care though, by the end Daniel was sweating and whoozy with pain.

"Well," she said finally, looping her stethoscope around her neck, "I'm in agreement with Dr. Keller, that there doesn't appear to be any permanent damage to your heart or your other internal organs. I do want to do a CAT scan to make sure but it can wait a day I think. So that means, barring anything worrying appearing on the scans, you're just going to be coping with extreme muscle pain for awhile. You know you're very lucky. This could've been so much worse."

"Oh yeah," Daniel huffed in shaky voice, "Can't tell ya how lucky I feel."

Carolyn Lam laid a soft hand on his. "I can only imagine bad this must be. I'll push the amount of painkiller in your IV and let you go back to sleep now."

Daniel leaned his head back into the pillow with weak nod.

The next time he opened his eyes he found them instantly locked into a set of blue-grey eyes. For a spilt second he could read in her face, worry and something that he didn't have a chance to identify because upon realizing that he was awake, her face immediately split into the brilliant smile she used to blind people to her true feelings. He'd learned to see past it though. The smile couldn't disguise the shadows under her eyes. He wanted to put a reassuring hand on her cheek, but the thought of the flow of pain up his arm from that simple gesture stopped him. The best he could do was to move his hand to hers resting on the bed.

Moving his head in a vague shake, he gave her what he hoped was a stern look.

"You're not supposed to be here are you?"

The brilliant smile disappeared. Dropping her gaze from his, she nibbled at her lip and shook her head.

"Then why are you?"

She looked back up at him with a shrug. "I couldn't sleep," her forehead creased, "I've been worried about you."

He tried for a reassuring smile. "Thank you, I appreciate that, but I'm going to be fine. It's just gonna take awhile that's all." he managed to slip a couple of his fingers between hers, "I promise. Okay?"

She dropped her gaze again and nodded.

He gave her fingers a vague squeeze, flinching only slightly at the tremor of ache that spread up his arm. "Good girl. Now would you please go and get some sleep."

Her head came up again and she frowned. "But, Daniel…,"

"Vala," he interrupted with a scowl that made his face ache, "don't argue. Just do it"

She opened her mouth to say something.

He cut her off before she got anything out. "Aah, aah…no arguing."

She nodded hesitantly with a faint frown.

He squeezed her hand again and gave her a small smile. "Thank you. Now go. I guarantee I won't be moving from this bed. I'll be right here when you come back in the morning."

Returning his smile, she slid off the bed, surprising him with a quick press of her lips against his hair as she turned to leave.

He watched her disappear into the corridor. Along with the thrill of finally getting to Atlantis for strictly research purposes, the trip had provided him with much needed time alone to think and reflect on his life and what he wanted, now that the current bunch of galactic bad guys had been dealt with. It had only taken the first week of the three week trip on the Daedelus to know what he didn't want. He didn't want to waste anymore time with her. He'd gone on for too long finding reasons for why they couldn't be together, why they wouldn't work, why he couldn't be in love with her. The whole almost-being-electrocuted-to-death thing had reminded him once again that life was short, especially their lives. It was past time for him to act. Given the current state of his health though it would have to be in slow-motion. Which really wasn't a bad thing. Slowly finding a way into a new type of relationship with her suited him just fine.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: Stargate: SG1 isn't my creation; I'm only playing here and the only things I own are any original characters that came from my own mind._

**Title**: Overture in Slow Motion

**Summary: **_overture_ - noun

1) an opening or initiating move toward negotiation, a new relationship

_slow motion – adjective_

2) moving or proceeding at a slow rate

**Spoilers**: Not really spoilers...assumes the reader is familiar with the events of SGA S5 episode "The Lost Tribe"

**Pairings**: Daniel/Vala, probably some referrral to J/S

**Rating**: "K" at the moment...could become "M" in the future

**Genre**: Drama/Angst/Romance

**A/N**: This is really short and the only reason I'm actually posting it is to apply a real title.

And I'm afraid this''ll probably be the last you get from me for awhile...I've got fragments of the next chapter done and I've got fragments for the next chapter of "Best" done too, plus my school work is starting to heat up, so I just don't know what'll be completed first or when.

But in the meantime, enjoy...and I love to hear from you.

* * *

**2 weeks later, late night communication between the 'Hammond' and the SGC**

"I'm not sure I can do this Samantha."

Sam smiled reassuringly at her friend's image on her computer monitor.

"It'll be fine, Vala. And besides" she tilted an eyebrow and shrugged, "you kinda don't have a choice in the matter; you're the only one of us that can be spared from regular duty for awhile."

Vala sighed, fiddling with a something she'd picked up off the desktop. "Yes I know, and it's not that I object to being taken off active duty to stay with him, but you know how we get when we're been in close quarters for an extended period of time. I don't want our tendency to get into disagreements hindering his recovery."

Sam raised a skeptical eyebrow. "I doubt that disagreements with you Vala are actually going to hinder his recovery. If anything they're more likely to make him feel like he's getting back to normal if you're not treating him with the kid gloves everyone else has been for the past few weeks. That being said though you should probably know what not to do. So first of all, don't hover. It's the one thing I've learned that Daniel HATES the most when he's recovering from something. BUT that also means you're going to have to be almost telepathic to know when to help because you know how _good_ he is at admitting when he does need it. Second, be tough. Don't let him get away with stuff. I can guarantee there'll come a day when he'll be feeling so much like himself again that he'll push his limits. And the next day you'll be the one having to deal with him being cranky and pissy because he's sore and tired. Don't put up with that. If you think he's pushing himself, you get in his face and tell him so. And third, DO NOT let him charm you into letting him have his way."

Vala interrupted with a choked burble of amusement. "Charm Sam? I'm sorry Samantha but charming is not a word I normally associate with Daniel."

Sam's mouth twisted into a smirk. "Oh don't kid yourself Vala. You've barely ever seen him out of his pre-occupied, focused on saving the galaxy mode. When he wants to he can be quite charming. If he's trying to get his way he won't hesitate to flash his dimples and bat those big blue eyes. So be wary…if anyone is going to be affected by his smile, it'll be you."

"Hey!" Vala huffed with a frown, "what's that supposed to mean?"

Sam shrugged, "Just that you're more likely to be susceptible to his charm than any of the rest of us."

Vala scowled. "Oh and why is that?"

"Vala," Sam voice became gently scolding, "you're in love with him."

Vala's scowl vanished, her gaze dropped to whatever she was still fiddling with and she shrugged.

"Vala," Sam said softly, "you need to tell him. Maybe this is the time, while you've got his undivided attention to have that long, HONEST talk you should've had ages ago."

Vala's head came up again and she looked at Sam in puzzlement.

"Why would I do that Sam? He doesn't want that from me."

Sam sighed. "You sure about that?"

"Yes of course I am. He's always made that abundantly clear. Telling him would make things so awkward between us Sam. It might even ruin the friendship that we've actually been able to establish," she shook her head, "I'm not willing to take that chance. His friendship means more to me than anything else."

Sam let out another long sigh, then suddenly tilted her head to one side.

"Look, I've gotta go" she said over the background sound of an announcement over the Hammond's PA, "I've been called to the bridge. When I'm back in two weeks I'll round up the others and we'll descend on you guys for an evening…and I'll also see if I can't spell you off for a coupla of days to give the two of you a break from each other."

Vala smiled with a nod. "Okay, that'd be great…look forward to seeing you then. Good luck Samantha."

Sam returned the smile. "Thanks and good luck to you too…and think about what I said wouldja?"

The brilliant but fake smile Vala gave her didn't fool her for a second. She didn't figure she'd arrive home to find that Vala's relationship with Daniel had changed one iota.


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: Stargate: SG1 isn't my creation; I'm only playing here and the only things I own are any original characters that came from my own mind._

**Title**: Overture in Slow Motion

**Summary: **_overture_ - noun

1) an opening or initiating move toward negotiation, a new relationship

_slow motion – adjective_

2) moving or proceeding at a slow rate

**Spoilers**: Not really spoilers...assumes the reader is familiar with the events of SGA S5 episode "The Lost Tribe"

**Pairings**: Daniel/Vala, probably some referrral to J/S

**Rating**: "K" at the moment...could become "M" in the future

**Genre**: Drama/Angst/Romance

A/N: nothing to say here...enjoy...as always anything you wanna say I wanna hear.

* * *

**4 days later**

Brilliant sunshine lit the entire room when Daniel woke. The angle and quality of the light told him it was mid-afternoon. He lay for several moments, savouring the pleasure of being in his own bed, complete with the 500-count Egyptian cotton sheets as opposed to the scratchy overly crisp sheets the base infirmary used. It was also just plain nice to be home. He could eat when he wanted, what he wanted; he could use his own bathroom when and for as long as he wanted without being a bother to the nurses. Well okay, he couldn't quite do all those things completely by himself, yet…but just being home meant that soon he would be completely recovered and able to get back to work. That wasn't now though. Right now, he was awake because; one, he needed to pee and two, he was hungry.

He lay for another moment, listening. There wasn't another sound that he could detect. He would've expected to hear something to indicate the presence of his 'nurse-maid'…noise from the TV or the tapping of the laptop keys, or …even just movement. Complete silence was unnerving. He pushed aside the vaguely panicked thought that she'd left. That was ridiculous. Vala still had her flighty moments but she wouldn't have deserted him. It might have been true when they'd first met. Putting herself out to help someone else was not something she would've done. That was four years ago now and she'd shown him time and time again since then that she was actually a kind and caring person. So the idea that she'd left him to fend for himself was absurd. There had to be another explanation for the dead silence. A new thread of panic twisted through his gut at the thought that she had injured herself somehow while he was sleeping and was now laying somewhere in his apartment, unconscious. For a split second the need to find out what was wrong made him forget his situation. He made to leap out of bed, only to collapse back onto the mattress, every muscle in his body shrieking in a pain. He lay for several moments, catching his breath, while the pain that had enveloped him slowly subsided. After a moment he squirmed his way up to a sitting position, breathing past the continuing cries of protest from his muscles. It was another moment or two before he tried another way to figure out where she was.

"VALA?"

The muscle effort it took to get enough volume out of his lungs came with another surge of pain. His reward for it was the sudden flurry of movement from the direction of the living room.

"Daniel?" came to him in a voice of confusion and panic.

She appeared in the bedroom doorway, looking sleepy and disheveled.

"What's wrong? Are you alright?" she asked anxiously, hurrying across the room to the bed.

He shook his head slightly, his breath still a little ragged from yelling for her. "'m fine. Are you? Couldn't hear any noises…was worried that somethin' had happened to you."

She gave him a small sheepish smile. "Sorry …I just fell asleep on the couch is all, but I'm fine"

Daniel squinted at her, then shook his head in frustration. She was too out of focus for him to judge her appearance.

"Hand me my glasses wouldja?" he asked gesturing in the direction of the nightstand.

Giving her a quick smile of thanks, he slid them onto his face. Immediately he saw the dark circles under her eyes.

"You're not sleeping again," he stated with a frown, "how come? Spare bed not comfortable?"

Her face split into a brilliant smile. "Oh yes of course, quite comfy thanks."

Daniel watched her. The dazzling smile she used to distract other people didn't fool him anymore. She was hiding something. As usual. He took a leap of intuition

"You haven't been using the spare bed have you?" he said softly

Her smile faltered, she looked away from his gaze and shook her head.

"Then where have you been sleeping?"

Shrugging, she flung her arm in a motion backward in the direction of the door.

He squinted at her, trying to guess his way past her purposely evasive nature.

"You've been sleeping at the door?"

She half shrugged.

"Vala," he sighed in exasperation, "why would you do that?"

She half shrugged again, her attention centred on the sleeve cuff of her t-shirt.

"I didn't want there to be a closed door between us, if you needed me…you know if there was a problem, like with your heart or something."

Touching a fingertip to her chin to urge her face up to his, he studied her. The worry in her eyes he recognized. It was the other expression that went along with it that gave him pause. It was the same one he had seen in the infirmary but hadn't been able to put a name to. Until now. If he still harboured any doubts about the wisdom of starting a real relationship with her, the obvious love in her eyes suddenly resolved them. He wondered how long she'd been looking at him like that and he hadn't been seeing it. He almost let himself say the words out loud, but stopped before they came out of his mouth. Now, was not the right time…not when he couldn't concentrate enough to say things the way he needed to because his bladder was screaming at him and his stomach was demanding food. Or because he didn't have the stamina or even the mobility to show her physically how he felt. He figured that given how vehemently he'd rejected her physical advances in the past, the only way she'd really believe and understand what he was telling her was if he showed her with his body. With the muscle relaxants he was currently taking, his body's inability to _rise_ to the occasion, so to speak, wasn't going to convince her of anything. Much better to put this conversation off a while longer.

He leaned back into the pillows sighing. "Vala, do you really think if Dr. Lam thought I was going to be having any issues with anything other than muscle pain she would've let me come home?"

She shook her head. "No…'sppose not."

"Then would you relax please and get some sleep tonight?"

She dropped her gaze back her fidgeting fingers and nodded.

He reached to stop her restless fingers. "Good. Now help me up...I need to pee."

Instantly she leapt up, making the bed bounce enough to jostle him abruptly.

"Vala!" he gasped at the pain that flashed through his body.

She froze, staring at him uncertainly. "What?"

Letting out the breath he had suddenly gulped he shook his head. "Just…just try moving a little less abruptly huh?"

She shook her head, clearly having no idea what she'd done wrong.

He sighed, easing himself up off the pillows "Jus' the way ya got off the bed made all my muscles jump"

"Oh Daniel," she breathed guilty, "I didn't realize…I.I'm sorry…I didn't think…here," she reached to fluff the pillows, "just lay back to let everything relax."

"Vala," he said in exasperation, trying to fend off her efforts to get him to lie back against the pillows again, "stop fussing. Your movement was just too sudden that's all. I'll be okay… just help me up please…I really don't relish the prospect of wetting the bed at my age."

She froze with her hand poised on the pillow, glancing down at him with an apologetic grimace.

"Right...s...sorry." she stuttered slightly, shuffling away from the bed enough to grasp the covers, flip them off him and then reach to help him ease his legs to the floor.

He sat for a moment clenching his teeth at the ache that flowed up his body. He wondered, not for the first time, if he might have rushed his departure from the infirmary. Although he was noticing the spasms didn't seem to be lasting as long as they had originally. Or maybe that was wishful thinking. Taking a breath and then slowly letting it out again he looked up at Vala. She stood beside him watching him with an air of expectant uncertainty.

"Okay...you ready?" she said softly.

He nodded. Moving closer so that her knees were touching his, she bent forward to drape his forearms over her shoulders and lightly latch her arms around his torso.

She tilted a glance up at him. "On three?"

He frowned. "Yeah…just keep thinking that I'm too heavy for you."

She snorted a laugh. "I believe our past more than proves that I can handle you."

He exhaled a soft chuff of laughter that became a tight grunt as at the count of one she began easing them up to a standing position. Despite or perhaps to focus on something other than the spasm of muscle pain washing over his body, he let himself enjoy the feel of her body against his. It was a unexpected but pleasant result of the muscles relaxants he was taking that he could have her slim, lithe body pressed against his like this without her discovering just how fast his body would normally be reacting to her. He'd spent the last 4 years keeping her at arms' length just so she wouldn't be figuring that out.

The gentle shift of her body away from in front of him to beside him broke his contemplation of having the curves of her body pressed against him.

"Okay…ready?" she asked softly.

"As I'll ever be," he replied, gritting his teeth at the muscle aches that rolled through his body as she guided him down the hallway to the bathroom.

"So are you okay from here." she said stopping at the bathroom door and pushing it open, "or do you need help?"

Daniel shot a wary glance down at her. Time was that kind of question from her would have been an innuendo-laden, thinly disguised attempt to get into his pants and accompanied by a seductive gleam in her eyes. Looking down into her eyes at that moment though he couldn't see anything but a genuine and honest concern for him.

"Uh no, "he said, shaking his head as he grabbed onto the edge of the doorway to steady himself, "I'll manage myself thanks."

"Okay," she replied stepping away from him, "call me when you're done or if you need anything."

He directed what he hoped was a warm, ingratiating smile at her.

"Umm, lunch would be good…I'm starving."

"Sure," she said with a quick glance at her watch, "I am too actually…time for your next round of drugs anyway and you need food with them…I'll go see what I can find for us," she finished with a pat to his arm as she turned towards the kitchen.

"Thank you," he called after her.

She acknowledged his gratitude with a wave of her hand but didn't turn around. For which he was thankful. He wasn't prepared for the repercussions of her catching him eyeing her ass.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Stargate: SG1 isn't my creation; I'm only playing here and the only things I own are any original characters that came from my own mind.

**Title**: Overture in Slow Motion

**Summary: **_overture_ - noun

1) an opening or initiating move toward negotiation, a new relationship

_slow motion – adjective_

2) moving or proceeding at a slow rate

**Spoilers**: Not really spoilers...assumes the reader is familiar with the events of SGA S5 episode "The Lost Tribe"

**Pairings**: Daniel/Vala, probably some referrral to J/S

**Rating**: "K" at the moment...will become "M" in the future

**Genre**: Drama/Angst/Romance

**A/N:**

My profoundest apologizes for taking over six months(really?) to add anything to this story...most of the time was spent doing school work and then at the end of school my brain went into hibernation for about a month and when I did start writing again I just couldn't seem to get a handle on the flow of this chapter...it's involved a lot of writing, then scrapping, then writing again and then scrapping again...but finally it's postable...and I tired of poking at it...so here ya go...I don't think it's up to par but I leave ya'll to decide for yourself.

**Two weeks later**

"Hello."

Sam shot a puzzled glance at the phone in her hand. For a moment she wasn't sure she had called the right number.

"Vala?" she asked cautiously."

"Sam?" came the familiar, accented but unexpectedly subdued voice from the other end.

"Uhh...yeah...it's me. Are you okay Vala? You sound odd...I wasn't sure it was you at first."

"Oh sorry...yeah I'm fine...Daniel's sleeping so I was trying to keep my voice down...hang on, I'll close his bedroom door."

There was a moment's pause while Sam heard the phone being put down, silence, and then the phone being picked up again.

"There that's better," Vala said with her usual enthusiasm, "so you're home?

"Yeah, just last night."

"All was well for your maiden voyage?"

"For the most part. We had a small altercation with a group of Alliance ships carrying kassa, but it wasn't something we couldn't handle."

"Well of course it wasn't Samantha, I wouldn't expect anything less from you and the good crew of the Hammond."

The extravagant but genuine praise made Sam smile.

"So how are things there?" she asked, "is Daniel improving at all...I mean you said he was still sleeping..."

"Oh, yes he's improving...it's just that after the exertion of the little walk that Carolyn insists he take every morning on top of a fresh dose of his meds he wipes out again for a couple of hours...he should be waking up again soon.

"Is he going to be up for company this evening?"

"Oh absolutely, Sam. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to have a break from it being just me here."

Sam frowned at the hint of sadness behind Vala's light-hearted tone that she believed she wasn't Daniel's preference for a constant companion.

"So how's it been between you guys?"

"Oh alright," Vala replied softly, "we've had a couple of tussles but I'm trying to be the patient one when he's being frustrated and cranky."

Sam chuffed a quick laugh, "And I can imagine how frustrated and cranky he probably is...he's not a good patient at the best of times...this forced inactivity must be making him nuts."

Vala returned the laugh. "No kidding."

"And how 'bout you? How are you doing with this forced inactivity? Bored?"

"Oh a little," Vala sighed, "but you know," she paused, her voice softening further, "he needs me Sam...I mean in the entire time we've known each other he's never let me down when I needed his help so I can't not do the same for him now."

The gentle sincerity in her voice brought an unexpected sting of tears to Sam's eyes. Why Daniel still wasn't seeing that Vala was in love with him was a puzzle, but it was time someone set him straight.

"Look," she said, "do you wanna take a break? I mean, Jack's here's tonight, but he has to go back to D.C. in the morning and Cam and Teal'c are headed to the Alpha site tomorrow for training exercises with a bunch of new recruits so I'm kinda at loose ends for a few days while I wait for the minor damage the Hammond sustained to be repaired. If you wanna come back to the base for a couple of days for a change of scenery I'm happy to stay with Daniel."

Vala not agreeing instantly was a surprise.

"Un... unless you don't want to of course," Sam said quickly.

"No...no...I didn't say that," Vala replied thoughtfully, "it just hadn't occurred to me until now...although I don't doubt that Daniel'd be quite happy to have you here for a couple of days instead of me...umm...why don't we discuss it tonight?"

That note of resigned sadness in Vala's voice again made Sam grimace at the phone.

"Uhh...okay...What time's good?"

"Umm...5 maybe...bring movies and we'll order something. Hopefully you'll get a two or three hours out of Daniel before his meds put him to sleep for the night."

"Okay," Sam said, "5 it is...see you then."

"Yup...see you...bye."

Vala's end of the phone line clicked into a dial tone. Sam slid her phone shut.

"So we're good for tonight?"

Sam raised her gaze to Jack leaning against the other side of the worktable.

"Yeah we are," she nodded.

"And yet, you are perturbed."

"Mmmm," Sam murmured, slipping off her stool, "I was just hoping that with them being alone together for the last few weeks things between them might've...I dunno," she shrugged, "progressed somehow."

"But not, huh?"

"No," Sam shook her head, motioning Jack towards the door, "they're so frustrating. She's crazy about him but she won't tell him. And Daniel..."

"And Daniel," Jack finished, following her into the corridor, "is still so twisted up in his own past he won't take the risk unless he's sure of her."

"Exactly," she blurted, looking at him in surprise.

"What?" he said, casting a sideways glance at her.

"Noth...nothing," she shook head, "I just wasn't expecting that kind of insight from you."

Jack grimaced at her. "Geez Carter, gimme some credit wouldja; I know Daniel as well as you."

"Okay then...what're we going to do about them?"

"Nothing," he said, stopping and turning to face her at the door of a men's washroom.

"Nothing?" she said in surprise, "but Jack, they're..."

"Ah, ah," he waggled a finger at her, pushing open the door with his other hand, "they're adults, if they can't see what's so plain to the rest of us that even I can see it then maybe they shouldn't."

Sam watched the door gently ease shut behind him. She chewed thoughtfully at her bottom lip for a moment. In most circumstances she'd follow her CO into a battle without question. Jack wasn't her CO anymore though and this wasn't a battle.

Sam stifled a yawn. After spending the entire morning debriefing with at the SGC with Homeworld Security and the I.O.A on the overall performance of the U.S.S George Hammond and its crew; and then spending the entire afternoon in a debriefing with the same people about the Hammond's run in with the Lucian Alliance, she was tired. She was more than happy to spend the evening just loafing with her best friends. She was especially happy and relieved to see Daniel mobile again. Granted he was moving carefully and he still looked a little pale to her, but he seemed closer to his old self than when she'd left. She was also relieved that things weren't as tense between he and Vala as she expected them to be. Instead there was a vibe between them that Sam couldn't quite put a name to. In fact the whole apartment seemed to exude the same aura.

Sam let her gaze wander away from the movie playing on the TV screen to study her surroundings, trying to pinpoint what was different. It wasn't as if the apartment had been physically altered. It was still a cluttered repository of Daniel's work and judging from the lack of telltale signs in the rooms' usual layer of dust nothing had been moved.

She suddenly sat up straighter, carefully studying a row of rather ugly squat stone statues lined up on the shelf of bookcase closest to her. That's what was different. There wasn't any dust. Anywhere. Every surface gleamed; every object had been swiped clean. For a moment Sam wondered if that was a result of Vala's boredom and then instantly felt guilty for being unfair. Vala's quarters at the base, while not spotless, were always cared for. Which was the difference here that Sam had been sensing since she'd walked in. At some point, since she'd left, Daniel's apartment had gone from a place where he kept his personal stuff and occasionally slept to a place that was lived in and cared for. Like a home.

Sam shot a sharp glance at Daniel and Vala seated at the end of the couch closest to her at the sudden realization that was the name of the aura that had been emanating off them from the moment she walked through the door. Home. There was easiness, between them that spoke of being settled together. Even if neither of them actually realized it.

Satisfied at that this turn of events she refocused on the movie. Only to see the credits begin to roll. Smothering another yawn with the back of her hand she watched Vala push herself up from where she'd been seating on the floor beside Daniel's legs, turn and lean over to gently wake him; under normal circumstances he was liable, like the rest of them to come up swinging if woken too suddenly. His eyes opened and a goofy smile spread across his face. Sam couldn't decide if the smile was a truly unguarded moment at seeing Vala or if it was because he was loopy with the full dose of the drugs he was taking.

"Oh, hullo," he mumbled.

"Hullo yourself," she replied affectionately, "I'd imagine your own bed would probably be more comfortable to sleep in don't you?"

He blinked at her and then nodded slowly.

"M'kay," he responded groggily, lifting his arms to rest over her shoulders.

Sam's breath caught. For split second she thought he was going to pull Vala in for a kiss. A quick look at Jack, Cam and Teal'c told her they were thinking the same thing. She remained mystified when in the next moment Vala reached down to slide her arms around his waist. Perhaps things between them had progressed further than Sam has suspected. A moment later though she found herself releasing the breath she didn't realized she'd been holding when it became it obvious that their actions were to help Daniel stand without straining his muscles.

What she didn't think she was misconstruing though was the look of contentment on Daniel's face as he paused for two or three beats with Vala's arms wrapped around his waist while he seemed to be regaining his balance. A furtive glance at the other three men while the couple disentangled themselves confirmed that she wasn't the only one to note Daniel's expression.

"S...sorry," Daniel said sleepily as Vala, one arm still wrapped around his waist, ducked under his arm resting on her shoulder, "to crap out on you guys so early...theze drugs really wipe me out at night."

He blinked owlishly at them for a moment as if he was forcing his eyes to stay open, then his face split into the goofy grin again.

"Been really great to see...you guyz...thanks for comin' over...g'night."

Sam added a 'night Daniel' to the chorus from the other three as Vala steered him in the direction of his bedroom.

Turning she met Jack's amused brown eyes.

"So progress then?" he asked with a slight lift of one eyebrow.

She grinned at him, "Could be."

"Awww man," Cam piped up from the opposite end of the couch, "you guys are gonna be okay with this aren't you?"

Sam looked at him in surprise.

"Oh and you're not all of a sudden? Haven't you been the one all along wanting them to figure themselves out so they'll stop bickering?"

"Yeah I was but I only just realized that instead of having to listen to them bicker now I'm gonna hafta put up them makin' eyes at each other...and...they're gonna be distracted...and isn't that gonna put the team in danger? I mean," he shrugged, "its fine for you Sam, you're off gallivantin' around the rest of the galaxy but I gotta be thinkin' about me and Teal'c's safety."

Jack interrupted with a snort of laughter.

"Relax Mitchell. This isn't gonna be resolved anytime soon. In fact I'm willing' to bet that right about now both our grandmothers would be speaking of molasses and January."

"I fail to understand your point O'Neill?" Teal'c spoke from the easy chair at Sam's and Jack's side of the couch

"My point 'T' is 'slow – molasses is a syrup that pours real slow in January and that's how to describe Daniel's continued movement on this matter…real slow. Now how 'bout another movie?" he said, leaning forward to examine the stack of DVD's on the coffee table, "just 'cuz ol' Doc Jackson had to crash early doesn't mean the rest of us hafta."

"Lessee," he muttered rifling through the DVD cases, "Star Wars...Star Wars...Star Wars...Star," he paused to shoot a disbelieving look at Teal'c, "animated Teal'c?...ya've even got a cartoon version?

"It is not a cartoon O'Neill. The animation is computer generated and it is an excellent addition to the established Star Wars canon."

"Yeah, yeah...it's still just science fiction," shaking his head Jack went back to shuffling through the rest of the movies, "so then there's a chick flick, another chick flick and some weird black and white thing that's obviously Daniel's..."he hazarded a glance at the DVDs in Cam's hands, "you got something better there Mitchell?"

"Uuhh...coupla Mel Brooks Ge...uh..Jack," he corrected himself hastily, flashing the DVD cases of two movies.

"Excellent," Jack grinned, slouching back against the couch.

He waved a hand at one of the cases, "put it in then son...Blazing Saddles never gets old."

Sam repositioned herself in against Jack again, leaned her head against his shoulder and wondered if anyone would notice if she crashed too.

Over the sound of cowboys singing "Camptown Ladies" the closing of a door and then hints of movement from the kitchen caught Sam's attention. Pushing herself up from the couch she wandered into the kitchen to find Vala assembling movie snacks.

"Daniel asleep?" Sam asked putting the packet of popcorn Vala'd put on the counter into the microwave oven and starting it.

"Mhhmm," Vala replied tearing open a large bag of nacho chips, "as he said the night-time meds are stronger, so he wipes out pretty fast."

"So how is he really Vala?" Sam leaned back against the counter and watched her friend move around the kitchen, "I mean physically he's obviously improving because when I left he wasn't particularly mobile and now he is...but beyond that how's he coping with this?"

"Oh he's okay," Vala shrugged, arranging handfuls of the chips over the bottom of large metal pizza pan, "mostly bored and frustrated. He's not getting back to work as quickly as he'd like despite Carolyn telling him it'd probably take most of the summer. And he gets cranky if he tries to do any work on his laptop because his hands and arms start to hurt. And then of course there's the fact that it's me he's stuck here with."

"I can't believe that's actually a problem." Sam said in surprise, "I'm not sensing any tension between you guys."

"I suppose not really," Vala responded over her shoulder as she crossed the room to the 'fridge, "it just feels sometimes that my presence here makes him extra grouchy that's all."

"So," she sighed, returning to the pan of nacho chips with the jar of salsa and bag of grated cheese she'd retrieved from the 'fridge, "I do what I can to make this more bearable for him. I'm sure we've watched all his favourite movies at least once. I even tried baking cookies to try and cheer him up."

"O...oh,'' Sam stammered, momentarily taken aback at the notion of Vala being that domestic, "and how'd that go?"

"Well my first attempt certainly provided him with amusement – the cookies themselves weren't very good...a lot burnt, but the second batch was better, and those," she gestured up at a plastic container on top of the 'fridge filled with, judging by the different sizes and shapes, homemade cookies," are really quite good even if I do say so myself," she finished, sending Sam a quick grin.

Shaking her head at her friend's self-congratulatory tone, Sam turned to remove the popcorn packet from the beeping microwave. Carefully she carried the bag to the counter beside Vala and dumped the contents into a large bowl. Popping a few morsels of popcorn into her mouth she leaned her hip against the counter and watched Vala dollop spoonfuls of salsa across the layer of chips and then scatter handfuls of grated cheese over everything. There was no hesitation in any of her movements. She knew exactly where everything was and exactly what she was doing. She was completely at ease in her surroundings...at home almost.

"You're enjoying this aren't you?"

Vala looked up from sprinkling a last clump of grated cheese across the mound of nacho chips and salsa, her brow creased with puzzlement, "Huh...enjoying what?"

"Being here with Daniel like this."

Shrugging, Vala carried the pan to the oven and turned the dial to the broil setting.

"Well, it is peaceful here; there aren't large alarm bells jolting me out of sound sleep at 3AM, and there's no one shooting at me...so, yes I like being here...and Daniel has never let me down when I've needed his help...doing the same for him now is the least I can do."

"You know that's not quite what I meant Vala."

Vala said nothing until she'd settled the pan under the broiler and shut the oven door.

"What do you want me to say Sam?" she said without turning around, her gaze focused on her hands grasping the handle.

"Just that you'll tell him."

Vala spun to face her, her brow creased into a frown.

"Why Sam? Why would I do that? What would it change? He doesn't want this with me...he's always made that abundantly clear. I'm not the one he wants."

"And who does he want?"

Vala's eyebrows arched up surprise as if Sam should know the obvious answer to that question.

Sam shook her in disbelief. "Oh c'mon Vala...that's impossible...Daniel's not that delusional."

"Okay then, at least someone like her...which wouldn't be me. I don't exactly fit the definition of 'village princess' do I?"

"Vala..." Sam started.

Vala held up a hand to stop her mid-sentence.

"No more Sam. Please? It's fine really. I've learned to accept the situation. Could we just drop this conversation and go," she tilted her head in the direction of the loud laughter coming from the living room, "watch whatever the boys are finding so hilarious?"

Sam frowned at her friend, but she nodded.

"Yeah, okay…sure...it's just that...with everything you had to deal with in your life I don't want to see you give up on having what'd make you happiest without even trying."

Vala smiled.

"Sam, I am happy. Really I am. I live in relative safety. I do important, respected work that actually earns me honest money. I have friends like you who care about and trust me. And Daniel looks at me now with the same warmth and affection he does you. It's enough...and given my history probably more than I deserve. So please, just take the popcorn into the guys while I rescue the nachos before they burn."

Sam eyed the overly-bright smile on her face for a moment, not feeling at all convinced that the friendship she had with Daniel was 'enough', but knowing that nothing except Daniel professing his undying love was going to persuade Vala that she could have anything more than his friendship.


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: Stargate: SG1 isn't my creation; I'm only playing here and the only things I own are any original characters that came from my own mind._

**Title**: Overture in Slow Motion

**Summary: **_overture_ - noun

1) an opening or initiating move toward negotiation, a new relationship

_slow motion – adjective_

2) moving or proceeding at a slow rate

**Spoilers**: Not really spoilers...assumes the reader is familiar with the events of SGA S5 episode "The Lost Tribe"

**Pairings**: Daniel/Vala, probably some referral to J/S

**Rating**: "K" at the moment...will eventually become "M".

**Genre**: Drama/Angst/Romance

A/N: OH. MY. GOD! A NEW chapter!

Yeah, I don't even want to think about how long it's been since I posted anything.

That being said I will be making a concentrated effort to post more regularly…I really need to get this and "Best" finished so I can move onto other projects.

Enjoy.

~d/v~

Sam leaned against the car, her leg cocked up on the bumper, watching Daniel and Vala slowly cross the parking lot to where she waited. With Vala's arm looped around his waist and his arm slung across her shoulders they gave off the impression of being an average intimately involved couple. Sam figured the actual truth was that both positions were providing extra support to Daniel's muscles.

She straightened away from the car as they approached her.

"Good morning," she said cheerily, shading her eyes with one hand against the early morning sun behind them.

"Samantha!" Vala responded with delight, "good morning."

"Hey Sam," Daniel greeted peevishly, "your turn to play nursemaid huh?"

Sam blinked in surprise. Vala had said he could be cranky, but the sulky tone in his voice was unexpected.

"Uhh, yeah...that, and I thought it'd be nice to spend some downtime with you...we don't get to do that much anymore."

The tension in his face softened.

"Uhh..y...yeah...it will be," he stammered sheepishly.

"Right then, so why not start now," Vala said brightly, stepping away from Daniel to manoeuvre Sam in beside him and draping his arm over her shoulder, "I'll just scurry on ahead and coffee'll be ready by the time you catch up."

She was off and jogging across the parking lot before either of them could say anything.

Sam shook her head with a chuckle, "Never really changes, does she?"

"No...she doesn't," he said quietly.

Sam looked over at him. His obvious affection for the former space pirate was all over his face. She tried to stifle a sound of satisfaction that she'd been right all along. He glanced sharply at her.

"What?"

"Nothing," she said managing to hide a smirk as she slung her arm around his waist, "let's go shall we...I'm dying for coffee."

"Uhh yeah...okay," he sighed, shifting slightly as if preparing himself to move.

Tightening her arm around his waist she started them moving forward. It took her a few moments to find his pace. She wasn't used to moving so slowly. She wasn't used to him moving so slowly either. He was normally such a vital and energetic man it wasn't surprising that this painful enforced inactivity was making him less than chipper. The pinched whiteness of his face when they reached the back door of the apartment building almost broke her heart.

"You okay?" she said, pausing before she pulled the door open.

"Oh yeah," he said tightly, "just peachy."

"You wanna take a breather?"

He shook his head, "No...the morning meds are kicking in so I'm getting kinda dozy...just wanna get inside before I start falling asleep."

Nodding, she pulled the door open, pushing it wide with her hip as she eased him inside.

They were met with the aroma of fresh coffee when they stepped into the spacious loft apartment.

"Oh good, there you are," Vala said, coming towards them from the direction of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel, "coffee's ready and there's also bagels and fruit and yogurt if you're hungry Sam, just help yourself...I've got to get some stuff packed before my ride shows up."

"Wait," Sam said, glancing between her friends, "you two have already eaten?"

"Uhunh," Vala nodded, "before we went for our walk...Daniel needs to have food with his meds...speaking of which," she scrutinized him, "I'd imagine you're probably ready to crash for the morning huh?"

His expression settled into faint irritation. "Yes, but I think I can manage to stay coherent enough to keep Sam company for awhile."

She shrugged, "Just sayin'."

"Thank you" he said testily, waving a hand in the direction of the bedrooms, "weren't you needing to pack your stuff?"

"Right," she said flashing her overly bright fake grin as she headed off towards the bedrooms, "I was."

Sighing, Sam watched the dark-haired woman trot down the hallway to the guest bedroom. She turned her attention back to Daniel at her side.

"Did you need to be that snippy? She's only doing what she's here for...caring for you."

With a faint shrug Daniel moved away from her to take the few steps to the tall chairs along the breakfast counter that delineated the apartments' kitchen space.

"I know, I know...it's just..." he muttered, trailing off as he eased himself onto one of the chairs.

"It's what?"

Daniel let out a long breath, "I'm just fed up with still needing a babysitter."

Sam leaned towards his, her forearms on the countertop.

"I get that Daniel...I do. None of us are very good at convalescing, but don't take your frustration out on us...especially Vala. She's doing her best for you and after three years even you must realize how easily you can hurt her."

The call-button from the buildings' front door chimed before he could respond. Sam raised a questioning eyebrow. Daniel motioned at the wall behind her. Straightening away from the counter she stepped quickly over to speaker and pressed the button.

"Yes?"

"Good morning, this is Corporal Foster, here for Ms. Mal Doran."

"Yes, thank you Cpl, she'll be down shortly."

"Yes Ma'am, thank you."

Sam released the button and moved into the hall.

"Vala! Your car is here."

There was squawked "All ready?" from the second bedroom then a flurry of movement followed by Vala emerging from the bedroom lugging an overstuffed duffel bag, a backpack and her largish purse slung over one shoulder.

"You're only going for a couple of days Vala; do you really need to take that much stuff with you?" Daniel said curtly.

Shrugging with a good-natured smile Vala paused at the counter to pop a chunk of melon from the bowl of fruit salad into her mouth, "I'm bored with the clothes I have here so I'm gonna swap them for other stuff. Beside I need to be prepared for whatever I end up doing for the next two nights...I'm hoping to talk Cameron into going out to movie tonight."

Sam shook her head. "Uhh no...Cam's off-world at the Alpha site for the rest of the week remember?"

"Oh right," Vala said with a faint pout, then suddenly brightened, "oh well never mind then I'll just find something else to do...maybe I can convince someone from the infirmary to go out dancing with me...which'd be a lovely change of pace since none of you four ever will. Anyway...must go, don't want to leave my handsome driver waiting any longer," she paused to plant a quick kiss on Daniel's cheek, "be good darling, don't be too much of a grump for Samantha."

Turning, she breezed down the hallway and out the door before Sam could finish chewing and swallowing the chunk of bagel she'd bitten off.

Sam started to say something then stopped when she caught the expression on Daniel's face. The crease of deep thought between his eyes was familiar but she couldn't define the odd sadness in his eyes.

"You okay?" she asked softly.

He turned his gaze to meet hers.

"Yeah," he said with a weak smile, "but I think I'm gonna go crash after all, I can barely keep my eyes open."

"Sure...do you need help?"

He shook his head as he eased himself off the chair, "No, I'll do...the drugs may be putting me to sleep but I'm not in any pain at the moment and I can move fairly easily. Make yourself at home; I'll see you in a couple of hours."

"Okay, have a good sleep," she said gently, watching him shuffle to his bedroom.

Silence settled over the apartment. Hoisting the strap of her laptop bag over her shoulder, she caught the last of her bagel between her teeth, took up her bowl of fruit salad and coffee cup in each hand and carefully padded into the living room.

The debris of bottles, cans, popcorn bowls and DVD cases from the previous night still littered the coffee-table, leaving little room for anything else. With her mug and bowl perched on the corner of table she set the laptop case on the couch, letting its weight pull the strap down and off her arm. Taking the moment needed to transfer the clutter of dishes to the kitchen counter; she dropped back down on the couch and unzipped the laptop bag.

~d/v~

Thoroughly engrossed in reviewing crew evaluations she didn't notice how much time had passed until the couch cushion beside her sagged. She glanced over to Daniel shifting to find a comfortable position in corner of the couch.

"Hey," she greeted with a bright smile, pleased that he was looking better than she'd seen him since before he went to Atlantis, "feeling more lucid?"

"Mmm, yeah," he said with a slight smile, "time-release meds are great over the course of a day but the initial effect of taking two at the same time is absolutely debilitating."

"Yup...been there," she said with a wry smile.

He returned the smile, nodding at her open laptop and the papers strewn across the coffee table.

"So whatcha working on?"

"Crew evaluations," she said glancing down at the stack of file folders, "I'll be doing the one-on-one reviews when I get back to the SGC so I need to have my reports finished."

"If you want I could take my laptop back to my bed and watch a movie while you finish?" he offered.

"Nope," she said, reaching out to pat his hand, "I'm here to spend some time with you, not use the solitude to catch up on work...although," she paused with another wry smile, "I do have to admit that's great not being constantly interrupted. So don't worry, it's fine. I can finish tonight after you've gone to bed." she finished, bending her head to focus on closing up all the documents she had open on the laptop.

"So how was it?" he asked softly after a few moments of silence.

She glanced over her shoulder at him. An expectant smirk tugging at his mouth was making the dimple in his right cheek flutter. She grinned at him. His question needed no explanation.

Closing the laptop she shifted towards him, pulling her leg closest to him up onto the cushion as she turned.

"At turns, rewarding and terrifying" she said expelling a sigh, "especially terrifying that I was ultimately responsible for the safety of the entire crew when a bunch of tel'taks came out of nowhere and starting firing at us."

"Alliance?" he said with a frown

She shrugged, "Who else is going to have a fleet of tel'taks with shields?"

"But you came through unscathed in the end and that's what really matters isn't it?"

She studied him for a moment. One of her oldest and closest friends, he believed in her no matter what. He had always allowed her the freedom to be unmilitary, to voice her uncertainties.

"I wouldn't exactly say "unscathed", she sighed.

His familiar expression of open, patient interest in anything she might have to say was all she needed let all the details of the maiden voyage of the _General Hammond_ come spilling out. Her awe and thrill in commanding the vessel named to honour the man whom she had, at times, considered to be closer to a father-figure in her life than her actual father had sometimes been; her pride in the quality of the men and women under her command and the almost paralyzing moments of self-doubt that she'd be able to safely steer ship and crew through a run-in with the Lucien Alliance.

Their free-ranging back and forth exchange of thoughts, ideas and concepts was so much a part of their twelve years of friendship that it wasn't until they were half-way through eating lunch when Sam glanced at the clock that she realized how long they'd been talking.

"Oh God, Daniel!" she blurted, letting her spoon clatter into her bowl of soup, "do you realize we've been talking for almost three hours?"

He shrugged with a weak smile, looking decidedly less bright-eyed than earlier, "Yeah well, it's been nice to catch up with you though, but I am feeling kinda tired."

"I'm sorry. Why don't you go take a nap while I clean up here?"

He shook his head as he slid off the stool, "Nah, it's not that bad...I'm just gonna stretch out on the couch and watch a movie."

"Sure and then we can decide what we want to order for dinner."

"Nope," he said with another shake of his head, "Carolyn suggested," he paused with a wry smile, "rather strongly actually...that we limit the fast food stuff."

"What? No junk food!" Sam exclaimed facetiously.

"I know shocking isn't it," he returned with quick grin, "don't tell Jack eh?"

She grinned back at him, "Oh definitely not...he'd be horrified."

Chuckling he turned towards the living room. "So anyway," he continued over his shoulder, "Vala bought one of those electric grills we can use on the balcony so we've been eating a lot of grilled meat and fish, and she found a Mediterranean deli kinda thing not too far from here that has some really great stuff...if you root around in the 'fridge you're likely to find something."

"Ah okay," she replied, pulling the 'fridge door open.

A quick survey of the contents proved him right. She pulled from the freezer a package of meat skewers and in the 'fridge she found the makings for Greek salad and a bag of pitas.

Happily anticipating a dinner that was from neither a fast food joint nor a military mess she made quick work of cleaning up all the dishes accumulated from the night before. Sliding the locking mechanism on the dishwasher closed and pressing the start button, she took a can of diet cola for herself and a can of ginger-ale for Daniel from the 'fridge and padded into the living room.

She set the cans on the coffee-table and eyed her patient. He was stretched out on his side, his 6ft frame taking up the entire length of the couch. She suspected he was asleep but couldn't be sure because he hadn't taken his glasses off. Lifting his legs she scooched herself in underneath them and let them drop down onto her lap.

"Comfy?" he muttered from the opposite end of the couch.

She glanced over at him with a wide grin.

'Yup. So what are we watching," she asked motioning with her head at the flow of people wearing medieval costumes on the TV screen.

"Ivanhoe."

"Wow," she said leaning forward to retrieve the cans of soda and hand him one, "that's old."

"Yeah," he said, sitting up enough to take the can and pop it open, "I sorta got hooked on it when I was a kid. I was off school with mononucleosis when I was 10 and..."

She interrupted with a laugh, "Mono? At 10? I never thought of you as being so precocious as to get the 'kissing disease" when you were 10."

"Funny," he said giving her sour look over the top of his can of soda, "had nothing to do with me kissing anyone."

He put the can on the table and lay back down, "my foster mother at the time had been a nurse and she figured I picked it up either from a water fountain at school or the dentist. So I was off school for a coupla months and most days I didn't have the energy to do anything except watch TV. Fortunately the PBS channel in our area ran old movies in the afternoon, like this one," he gestured at the TV, "and uh...Robin Hood, all of Errol Flynn's swashbucklers, The Scarlet Pimpernel, a bunch of 'film noir' stuff and then late in the afternoon, for the kids coming in from school they ran the old serials...you know, The Lone Ranger, Zorro," he huffed a laugh, "probably the most TV I've ever watched in one stretch. Until now of course."

Sam gave him a sharp glance. The irritation with his current situation was back in his voice.

She leaned towards him, "Daniel, I realize this is going to sound trite but you know just how much worse this could've been."

"Yes, I know" he replied sullenly without looking at her.

He seemed to retreat into himself after that. Sighing she settled back and tried to get interested in the movie. When the credits began to roll she realized that she'd been dozing off and on through most of it. Apparently the combination of seeing one's husband for the first time in a month and sleeping in an Earth-based bed that lacked the background hum of the _Hammond's _engines didn't make for a good night's sleep. Being careful to not disturb a dozing Daniel she extracted herself from under his legs and wandered into the kitchen to make dinner. He shuffled in behind her a few minutes later.

"Sorry...did I wake you?" she said with a smile.

He shook his head. "Not really...s'okay anyway...gotta take my meds in the next coupla hours so it's time to get dinner together."

"My thoughts exactly...so what's the plan?"

"Uhhh...well I usually tend the grill because I can just sit and turn the meat, which takes less muscle effort than it does to clean and chop vegetables for salad. So if you give me the bag of skewers and a pair of tongs I'll leave you to the rest."

Handing him the items Sam watched him until he took the step over the threshold onto the balcony. Satisfied that he hadn't taken on more than he could handle, she turned her attention to preparing the rest of their meal.

Over a salad, grilled pitas and what proved to skewers of lamb they watched and discussed the items on the evening news. Predictably Daniel crashed for the night barely two hours after they'd finished eating. After a short Skype conversation with Jack she settled in to finish the personnel reviews. A little before midnight she crawled into bed, hoping that without her husbands' presence it she'd have no trouble sleeping; even if the comforting background drone of the _Hammond's _engines was missing.

~d/v~

A thunderstorm rolled over the city near dawn breaking the suffocating humidity of the previous several days. The pouring rain hindered Daniel's early morning walk. Instead, after his drug-induced nap, they took an excursion to a nearby shopping centre. His stamina lasted long enough to wander through the mall to a Target to stock up on personal items and eat lunch at a sub shop.

Back at the apartment he sunk gratefully into the couch cushions with a heavy sigh.

"Sorry, if that was too much for you." Sam said settling on the couch beside him.

He shook his head and waved a dismissive hand, "S'alright. Carolyn's been telling me I need to keep pushing my endurance...it's just," he paused, leaning his head back against the couch and taking his glasses off to rub his eyes, "this seems to have been going on for so long now it's become less draining to not make the effort."

He lapsed into silence. Sam studied him. The only other time she'd ever seen him this despondent was at the beginning of the program when Sha're had first been taken.

"You know you are improving Daniel," she said laying a hand on his arm, "when I left you were barely moving from your bed."

He just nodded silently without looking at her. She studied him for another moment, wishing she knew what to say that wouldn't sound cliché. Finally giving his arm, what she hoped was a comforting pat she got up. In the kitchen she stood staring into space, trying to think of way to lift his mood. Her gaze landed on the plastic container of Vala's cookies. It seemed a bit lame but homemade chocolate walnut cookies and a pot of his favourite coffee properly made in a French press carafe might just be enough to brighten his spirits.

Using a cookie sheet as a tray she brought their mugs, and the cookies into the living room. The aroma of the fresh coffee made Daniel open his eyes. He tilted a questioning eyebrow at her. Shrugging with sheepish smile she offered him the tub of cookies.

"Seemed a shame no one was eating these."

He leaned forward, grimacing slightly at the movement, to snag three or four cookies. Shifting back again against the cushions with another faint grimace he took a bite out of one while neatly lining the others along the top of his leg.

"You okay?" she asked, settling on the couch beside him.

He nodded with quick closed-lip smile, his mouth too full of cookie to say anything.

Satisfied that she seemed to have provided him something to brighten his mood, she took a bite of cookie. She smiled at its dense chocolatey chewiness. It'd been way too long since she'd had homemade cookies.

She looked over at him with a grin, "Pretty good."

He nodded, breaking apart another cookie and popping a piece in his mouth, "Well third time's the charm as they say...although I wouldn't have missed the entertainment of the first two attempts for anything."

"So I heard," she chuckled, leaning forward to snag their coffees.

When she turned to hand him a mug he was staring moodily at the last cookie sitting on his knee.

"She's been a real trooper through all this you know," he said, looking up to take the cup from her," he gave Sam a rather sheepish glance before raising his mug to his mouth, "I haven't exactly been easy to live with at times."

"Oh, now there's a newsflash," Sam snorted with a laugh as she reached for a cookie, "Daniel Jackson's a lousy patient."

"Yeah...well," he said with a sheepish shrug as he fiddled with the cookie, "been kinda expecting her to hightail it back to the SGC long before now."

She sat back, crossed her arms over her chest and frowned at him.

"Daniel," she admonished, "I can't believe you'd think that of her after all you two have through together. When we first heard from Atlantis about what had happened she was terrified that she...we'd lost you for good this time. She's been adamant from the moment you arrived through the 'gate that you've always been there if she needed you and she's wasn't going to let you down when you needed her help."

"She wouldn't leave you in the lurch like that Daniel," she paused, debating whether it was time to betray Vala's confidence.

Breathing a quick hope to herself that Vala would forgive her, she leaned forward and laid a gentle hand on his arm. "She loves you."

She waited to hear him scoff at the notion. Instead he was completely silent for a moment then he nodded.

She gaped at him, "You know?"

He shot her a quick glance with a shrug, "Well obviously she hasn't actually said it out loud but you know," he dropped his gaze back to his cookie, "being...uh...in such close quarters with her for the last few weeks while I'm not distracted by work, I'm uh...seeing her acting in ways that that I've never registered before...and I'm finding that I just can't convince myself anymore that she's only playing games."

He lapsed into silence to finish his last piece of cookie.

Sam studied him for a moment before deciding that the only way to get confirmation of what she'd been suspecting for quite awhile was to ask outright.

"And you?" she asked quietly.

With a sharp huff of laughter he glanced at her from the corner of his eye and shook his head.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure she's had me from the moment she took off the super-soldier helmet."

"Then why haven't you told her Daniel?"

"I was going to...or at least I was going to take her out on actual date when I got back from Atlantis. That three week trip to Atlantis gave me a lot of time to think...but then this happened," he gestured at himself, "and now," he sighed reaching for another cookie, "now it has to wait until the end of the summer."

"Why?" she said in puzzlement, "what does it have to wait? Do you know how unhappy she is right now? You've done too good a job of convincing her that you're not interested in her like that"

"This isn't the right time is all," he said tightly, fiddling with the cookie.

Sam sat back into the corner of the couch and crossed her arms over her chest, "Why Daniel? What makes the end of the summer better than right now?"

"Because," he said, blowing out a sigh of exasperation, "by the end of the summer I won't be taking so much medication."

"I don't understand…what does taking meds have to do with it?"

"They're very strong muscle relaxants."

"So?"

He raised his head and eyed her directly.

"Sam...EVERY muscle in my body is completely lax...I couldn't get any part of my body to...to," he suddenly dropped his gaze again, his face flushing slightly pink, "uh...to tighten up...if...if I tried."

It took a moment for her to grasp his meaning.

"Daniel," she said leaning forward to touch his arm, "she's in love with you…that's not going to matter to her."

Snorting a laugh, he turned his gaze back to his coffee, "This _is_ Vala we're talking about here Sam."

She settled back against the couch back with a grimace, "That's a little unfair don't you think?"

He shrugged and shook his head, "Maybe it is...I dunno...but it matters to me. I'm not gonna stand a chance in hell against her wiles once she knows the truth...I'd rather not go into it feeling like a damn eunuch," he muttered studying the liquid in his cup like it held the all the answers to the universe.

Sam stared at him for a moment. She had no idea what to say. For most of the time they'd worked together he'd been in mourning for Sha're. Other than the time he'd been suffering from sarcophagus withdrawal he'd never alluded to his own sexuality. Hearing him do so now was almost as disconcerting as hearing a similar statement from her brother.

The unexpected sound of the apartment door opening saved her from making a response.

Daniel's gaze shot up to hers. The pleasure that flickered over his face just before his forehead creased in puzzlement made her want to smile. Instead she gave him a shrug and a quick shake of her head as she pushed up from the couch and trotted across the room.

"Vala?" she said, stepping into the hallway.

"Oh...hi." Vala responded with a quick upward glance while she manouvered her duffel bag with her foot through the open door.

'Hi." Sam replied moving forward to pick up the bag, "what are you doing back so soon?"

"Oh well, you were right", she said as she straightened, settled her purse on her shoulder and lead the way along the hallway to the main living area, "Mitchell is off-world and I couldn't convince anyone to go dancing with me...dinner in the Mess last night was," she paused to make a face of distaste over her shoulder at Sam, "well, less than satisfactory, shall we say. Then that ghastly alarm siren woke me out of a sound sleep at 3AM. Needless to say I saw no reason to stay after all that, so here I am."

She came to a halt in the opening of hallway into the main living area and directed a blinding grin at Daniel, who was half sitting, half leaning against the arm of the couch.

"Hullo darling. Miss me?" she said brightly as she strolled towards him.  
"You've barely been gone 24 hours, Vala," he replied dryily.

Sam shot him a look of reproach for his less than welcoming tone; which he would've seen if his gaze hadn't been completely focused on Vala.

"So just why are you back so soon," he asked, watching her walk towards him.

Easing the duffle bag to the floor, Sam shook her head. She still didn't understand why Vala, with all of her "male savvy", wasn't seeing that Daniel couldn't tear his eyes away from her.

"Oh well like I just told Sam, the SGC is no fun without you Daniel," Vala drawled, sending a wink in Sam's direction, "besides which I couldn't coerce anybody into going dancing with me...dinner last night was disappointing to say the least and then that horrid alarm siren woke me at 3AM because SG14 was coming back under fire."

"Under fire?" Sam squawked in unison with Daniel.

"Are they okay?" they also asked together, both taking a step in Vala's direction at the same time.

"Yes, yes," she said, flapping her hands comfortingly, "they're fine...Major Collins sprained his ankle diving through the gate and that delicious blonde Rushing guy..."

"Russian," Daniel corrected.

"Right," she nodded, continuing as she hadn't been interrupted, "him...anyway he took a glancing shot to his shoulder from a staff weapon, but now he's fine...thanks to my healing skill of course," she preened.

"So how are you two doing," she asked veering around Daniel in the direction of the couch, "been having a nice visit I trust?"

She stopped in mid-stride before either of them could reply, then took a step back to shoot a raised eyebrow at Daniel.

"You two eat all those cookies?"

He cast a glance over her shoulder to the now-empty plastic container, coffee cups and a scattering of cookie crumbs on the coffee-table.

He tilted his head with a sheepish shrug, "umm, yeah, guess we did," he favoured her with wide blue eyes and a charming boyish smile, "but you've become such an expert at making them I'm sure you'll be able whip up a new batch in no time."

"Yeah," she drawled, eyeing him carefully, then suddenly shook her head, "no...I don't think so...I'm not gonna be held responsible by the rest of the females on the base for ruining your," she reached out to pat his belly, "delectable physique."

Sam bit back a smile. Clearly Vala had heeded her warning about Daniel's little boy charm when he wanted something. She started to add her own two cents to the banter when she was struck by the moment between her friends that seemed to have been caught in a freeze-frame. With her hand still resting on his t-shirt, Vala had gone from lighthearted and teasing to eyeing Daniel warily. Not that Sam could blame her. Daniel's expression had become tense and the familiar frown lines had appeared between his eyes. If she hadn't heard him, barely thirty minutes earlier, admit to how he really felt about Vala, she would've been reading his expression the same way she suspected Vala was. She was willing to bet now though that the stiff set of his jaw had less to do with being irritated at Vala because she was touching him so intimately and more to do with keeping his own feelings under control. Somewhere in the back of her head Sam heard an little voice wonder if she didn't interrupt, how long it would take before he caved to his feelings. She mentally scoffed at that notion. Daniel was far too stubborn to give into his feelings before he was absolutely ready. He especially wasn't likely to suddenly kiss Vala when they weren't alone. A situation Sam was more than willing to remedy immediately,

"Well," she blurted, stepping forward, "seeing as how Vala's back I should probably get my things together and head off to my own place."

Vala turned abruptly away from Daniel and dashed towards Sam, fluttering her hands in a stilling motion.

"No, no Sam, you don't need to leave yet...there's no reason to cut your visit short. I can sleep on the couch tonight."

Sam smiled at her, "It's fine Vala. Really. It'll be nice to sleep in my own bed actually."

"At least stay and eat with us," Vala entreated, grasping her arm.

Nodding Sam patted her hand, "Okay, sure, that would be great...don't think I have any real food at my place anyway."

"Excellent," Vala said happily clapping her hands together.

"Right then," she continued, backing away from Sam and motioning Daniel towards the kitchen with her head, "so while you go gather your stuff, Daniel and I'll decide what to eat."

Turning, Sam sauntered from the room and down the hall to the second bedroom, the voices of her friends fading to a murmur behind her. She had zero expectations that Daniel would be pledging his undying love to Vala in the near future, but she was pretty sure that by the time she brought the _Hammond_ back from the next mission their challenging and often tumultuous relationship would finally be settled.


End file.
